Bulk Vendors

Program changes effective July 1, 2010

The rebate provided under the Your Energy Rebate Program will increase to 10% from 8% when the provincial portion of the HST rises to 10% from 8% on July 1, 2010.

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Program changes effective October 1, 2009

Effective October 1, 2009, the electricity portion of the rebate was expanded to all residential usage. All electricity consumed for residential purposes on or after October 1, 2009, is eligible for the rebate. The base charge is also eligible for the rebate.

For billing periods that straddle October 1, 2009, the current threshold is to be applied to the portion of the bill prior to October 1, 2009. The threshold calculation will be the number of days in the billing period prior to October 1, 2009 times 27.4 KWH/day.

Example:

For a billing period September 21, 2009 to November 20, 2009, the threshold would be:
10 days x 27.4 KWH/day = 274 KWH.

The rebate would be issued on the remaining KWH and the base charge.

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Who are Bulk Vendors?

They are suppliers of natural gas, electricity, home heating oil, home delivery of propane, or home delivery of firewood.

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As a HST registered vendor, do I have to provide the energy rebate?

Bulk Vendors who are HST registered are required to provide the Provincial rebate for eligible home energy at source.

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How do I get reimbursed for providing the rebate?

To receive reimbursement for the amount of rebates provided, a bulk vendor must register with Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations to be set up on the reimbursement program.

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As a bulk vendor, how do I verify if a customer is eligible for the rebate?

As part of the program, vendors will be required to provide a rebate for all eligible customers. Customers fall into one of three categories:

• Customers who are eligible for the energy rebate at source
• Customers who are eligible for the rebate through the submission of an application form
• Customers who are not eligible for the rebate

Your role as a bulk vendor is providing rebates to those customers who are eligible at source for the rebate (i.e. customers identified in the first bullet above). Vendors will be required to confirm the eligibility of their customers.

To assist you to determine customer eligibility:

• We will provide you with access to an internet-based eligibility system for you to verify customer eligibility. To access the tool, click on Eligibility Tool and enter the username and password that we have provided.
• Customer eligibility can also be determined by calling the Your Energy Rebate bulk vendor line during regular business hours at 1-800-670-4357 (Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.).

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Notice: Annual Eligibility Change List

In early March of each year, the annual change list of properties that have changed eligibility status during the year will be available to bulk vendors through the eligibility tool page or upon request from Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

Once a bulk vendor has updated their customer list with the annual change list, the eligibility status will be good for a year. Bulk vendors are expected to have completed updating their customer lists by June 1st.

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Notice : Eligibility Tool Updated

On October 14, 2008, the eligibility tool was updated which changed the eligibility status for a large number of properties. Many property owners that had been receiving their rebate at the point of sale in error were no longer shown as eligible.

On December 15, 2008, new eligibility criteria were implemented and a large number of properties became eligible to receive their rebate at the point of sale. Letters were sent to all affected property owners stating they were now eligible to receive their rebate at the point of sale. They were instructed to provide their oil and wood suppliers with a copy of the letter so that they would receive their rebate at the point of sale.

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What do I provide to customers?

Once you have determined that a customer is eligible to receive the at-source rebate, you will be required to provide them with a receipt displaying the rebate as a separate line item. The receipt must read “Prov Rebate” and must also clearly indicate the rebate and the dollar amount of the rebate. The receipt must also include your nine digit business number (BN/HST), for example BN 111111111.

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What if a rebate is not provided to an eligible customer at time of sale?

If you neglected to provide a rebate to an eligible customer, do not provide a credit or payment to the customer. In this case the customer must submit an application for the rebate.

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How do I get reimbursed?

Once customer eligibility has been determined and the rebate provided at the point of sale, vendors will be required to track the rebates issued.

You will be able to make a submission for reimbursement 4 times per calendar month.

You have 24 months to apply for reimbursement from the date of the sale for which you issued the rebate.

Your submission for reimbursement must include:

• Amount of energy sold by type of energy source
• Total sum of rebates provided
• Number of residential customers' transactions where the rebate was provided

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When will I get reimbursed for the rebate?

You will be reimbursed within 21 days after receipt of a completed application. To ensure that you receive your reimbursement before you are required to submit your HST payments to the federal government, you are asked to submit a completed application form by the 5th of each month.

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Does this rebate program affect your HST remittances to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)?

No, this program does not affect your HST remittances to the CRA.

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How long do I have to keep my customer records?

You must keep your records for 72 months from the purchase date.

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Is a home in a trailer park or on a military base eligible for a rebate?

Yes. A mobile home located in a mobile home park or a home located on a military base is eligible for the energy rebate at source for home-delivered oil, propane, firewood and natural gas, regardless of the eligibility status as provided in the online eligibility tool.

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Where can I get an application form?

In Person

Access Nova Scotia

Email

yourenergyrebate@gov.ns.ca

Telephone

Halifax Region
(902) 424-5200

Toll-free in Nova Scotia
1-800-670-4357

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Downloadable Forms

• Bulk Vendor Applicant Registration Profile [ - 33.69 kb]
• Bulk Vendor Reimbursement Application Oil, Firewood, Natural Gas, Propane and Kerosene [ - 92.61 kb]
• Bulk Vendor Reimbursement Application - Electricity [ - 86.12 kb]